Jerusalem – Israel’s Tourism Ministry is investing an extra $2.6 million to attract Russian tourists after crises in Egypt and Turkey.
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Ministry spokeswoman Michal Gerstler says Israel has focused on Russia for a month “in an attempt to create an alternative.”
Russian tour agencies suspended sales of packages to Turkey after Turkish warplanes shot down a Russian jet along the Syrian border on Tuesday. Some 4.5 million Russian tourists visit Turkey each year.
Russia suspended passenger flights to Egypt after the Oct. 31 crash of a passenger plane in the Sinai Peninsula that killed all 224 people on board, nearly all of them Russians.
Russia said the plane was downed by a bomb, and the Islamic State group claimed the attack.
Gerstler said Wednesday that Israel will woo Russians through online ad campaigns and other marketing channels.